Willow Springs: A Destiny Novel

by Toni Blake

  And hell—maybe he should be asking her out. And in fact, he wasn’t sure why he hadn’t yet.

  Maybe because of Mike, because dating his best friend’s just-returned-home-after-all-these-years little sister might get a little weird? Or maybe he wasn’t sure he was great dating material at the moment—after what he’d just come through, and given that he’d just left an admirable career for a job some people might consider less than a lateral move. And it wasn’t like he was really over the Knight fire anyway—the truth was, it still bothered him, every day; he’d just gotten better at hiding it. Or . . . maybe there was some other reason he wasn’t asking her out, one he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

  Just then, he found his gaze drifting over to Amy, where she stood talking to Jenny and Mick Brody next to the punch bowl. She looked pretty today in a spring green dress that brought out the green in her eyes. Yet she’d seemed . . . a little off, too. Though it was a big party—he supposed she did have a lot to handle here.

  And even now . . . well, not just anybody would be able to spot this, but he could have sworn he saw something sad behind her smile. It didn’t quite reach her eyes, and that wasn’t like Amy at all. He’d have to check in with her later, make sure everything was all right. He hated the idea of anything making his freckles sad—and he knew he’d been too caught up in his own drama lately and that it was time to get back to paying attention to the people who mattered.

  Seeming to follow his gaze just then, Anna said, “Like it?”

  He blinked, looked at her. “Like what?”

  “My Mustang, silly.”

  Oh. Her car was parked in the distance, directly behind where Amy stood. “Uh, yeah, it’s great.” And it really was. Right now, the red exterior gleamed in the sun. The top was down and the mint-condition classic convertible looked made for fun.

  “Want me to take you for a ride sometime?” she asked.

  Seven

  “I was very foolishly tempted to say and do many things . . .”

  Jane Austen, from Emma

  Logan’s groin tightened, just a little. Because he was pretty sure he heard something sexual in the invitation. Not just the way the words could be interpreted, but it was in her voice, too, and definitely—again—in her seductive brown eyes.

  “Um, sounds good,” he said. After all, if beautiful Anna Romo wanted to take him for a ride, who was he to say no? Whatever was holding him back . . . well, if she was asking him out, it must be God’s way of telling him to get over it and get on with things. Right?

  “Free tomorrow night?” she asked with a hopeful, confident smile.

  Yeah, he was. But . . . aw hell, despite himself, something continued to hold him back a little. “Not sure,” he heard himself say.

  And she flashed a look that told him she’d been around the block a time or two and sensed he might not be telling the whole truth. But she was still smiling, and he realized Anna wasn’t overly sensitive or too emotional—she clearly knew how to do the casual-dating thing with some finesse. “Well, you let me know if you want to get together,” she said.

  And he thought, Of course I do.

  Or do I?

  Damn. Why did he feel so torn inside, for God’s sake?

  Then she said, “Oh brother, here comes Mike.”

  And Logan instinctively said, “Go easy on him, okay?”

  “Anna, I want you to meet some people,” Mike called as he grew nearer, motioning her over.

  And as she got up to go, she peered down into Logan’s eyes to say, “Don’t go anywhere, all right? So far, you’re definitely one of the best things I’ve found in Destiny.” And she concluded with another one of those come-hither looks that seemed to spill from her so naturally with him. And which made it a little hard for him to draw a deep breath.

  But . . . what the hell was the deal? Why wasn’t he thrilled out of his mind? After all, she was great. Pretty. Funny. Outgoing and confident. And ridiculously sexy without even trying.

  He usually liked women who let you know what they wanted.

  But this was different. This was Mike’s long lost little sister.

  And . . . why did he get the idea Amy wasn’t crazy about fixing them up? Because if Amy thought there was something not right about it . . . well, that mattered to him. She had good instincts, and he knew she cared about him—a lot. She’d been so damn good to him lately, and it dawned on him all over again that he wasn’t sure he’d let her know how much he appreciated that.

  “Okay, everybody, I need the happy couples up here with me,” Amy called out then over the general din of the crowd. “We’ll cut the cake and let them start digging in to all these presents.”

  That was when two things struck him at once: He realized he’d forgotten his shower gifts in the car, and he flashed back to the strange moment when he’d kissed Amy on his couch.

  And as he made his way from the party out into the orchard . . . hell, his groin began tightening again. Huh. Over Amy? Groin tightening? Really? Not that there was anything wrong with her—she was cute and funny and probably the sweetest person he’d ever known. But he’d just never thought of her that way. Ever.

  Oh well, don’t overthink it. You’ve got a lot of crap in your head right now—the old job, the new job, Anna coming home, Anna asking him out, and apparently those kisses with Amy were still lingering there, too. And of course, just because he was walking around acting normal and had gotten his shit together, that still didn’t mean he was over what had happened to the Knights.

  In fact, his heart clenched just now, just from letting his thoughts go there. And he felt a little dizzy, unsteady. Keep walking, just keep walking. Don’t think about it anymore. Don’t see it anymore. Block it back out. That was pretty much the only way he managed the walking-around-acting-normal thing, by just blotting out the recollections he’d begun to fear would haunt him the rest of his life.

  Given his current state, the cool air beneath the trees—lightly scented with the last spring apple blossoms—was more than a little refreshing on a day that had grown hot. Think about Anna, he commanded himself. Because she put a lot more pleasant visions in his head than that damn fire did. Think about Anna, who showed up exactly when you needed someone, so it must be meant to be.

  He’d just reached his car and was headed past it toward the trunk when—damn—he caught sight of a note on his windshield. Another one. Wow.

  Though the first one had freaked him out a little, he’d almost forgotten about it now. After all, he’d heard or seen nothing unusual since then, and maybe he’d decided it was just kids playing a prank or something. But if there was another one . . . well, that changed things.

  And things really changed after he read it. Because the woman who’d written it wanted to touch him now. And be touched by him. All over. Whoa.

  Who the hell could be sending these things?

  Okay, stop. Think. He tried to mentally sort through all the single females at the shower today, but most of Destiny was there, making it pretty impossible to narrow it down. And hell—for all he knew, it could be . . . some smitten ten-year-old girl. Though this was starting to sound like a pretty advanced ten-year-old if that was the case. It could really be anyone, he supposed. Someone shy maybe, as the note indicated. Or . . . someone with something to hide, some reason she couldn’t be up-front with him.

  His ponderings got him nowhere, but they left him curious to say the least. Who the hell could his secret admirer be?

  Oh well, no matter how he sliced it, it was one more distraction from unpleasant thoughts of the fire, so if someone wanted to send him secret love notes, he supposed that was fine with him.

  After the cake was eaten and all the presents opened, a few people left the party, but most stuck around, nibbling at more food and catching up with friends. Mike had just finished talking with his mom—telling her he’d invited Anna to stay with him and Rachel for as long as she wanted—when he saw Logan standing by himself near an old hay wagon.
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  “What’s up, bud?” he asked, approaching.

  “Just enjoying the day.”

  Mike simply nodded, though he could see some trouble still lurking in his best friend’s gaze. “Sure you’re doing okay?”

  Logan shrugged. “Hell of a lot better than I was a few weeks ago. That’s about as much as I can ask for right now. Just taking it one day at a time.”

  “Well, you know if you need anything, I’m here.”

  Now his old friend tilted his head accusingly. “Sure, you say that now, but you bailed on Cocoa and me in the end.”

  Mike knew he was only kidding, though. “For your own good and you know it,” he replied with a smile.

  “Yeah, I can’t believe I let myself get down so low.”

  “Well, just glad you’re back,” Mike said. Then a short laugh escaped him. “And glad Anna’s back. You know, man, sometimes I still can’t believe it.” Then he shook his head. He’d spent so many years hoping, praying, not giving up deep down inside, no matter how crazy it seemed. And now, here his baby sister was, back in his arms! And sure, he was still pissed as hell about the whole thing, but he was working through that, and he just kept reminding himself that the important thing was knowing she’d been with someone who loved her and that she was happy, healthy, and here with him now.

  “Speaking of Anna,” Logan said, appearing a little uncertain, “I, uh, figure I should tell you she kinda asked me out earlier. For tomorrow night.”

  Mike tried not to react, yet his chest tightened and the muscles in his shoulders tensed. He knew Anna was an adult and all, but . . . damn, he couldn’t help it—after everything his family had been through, the urge to be protective flowed through his veins like hot lava.

  “I won’t go if you don’t want me to,” Logan said, clearly sensing the reaction anyway.

  And Mike felt kind of like an idiot, even as he let out a sigh. “Hell, I don’t know the answer,” he admitted at a loss. “You’re my best friend. And a damn good guy most of the time. Maybe you’d be the best person in the world for her to date.” Only then his chest clenched all over again. “But on the other hand, you’re my best friend and I know everything you’ve ever done and every girl you’ve ever done it with. And if you ever hurt her . . .”

  “Geez, would you relax, dude? You’re getting way ahead of yourself here.”

  Mike blew out a long breath. “You’re right. I get that. But . . . the idea of you even touching her . . .”

  Logan looked him in the eye in the way very few people seemed able to—since most backed off or left him alone when he acted this gruff. “Mike, don’t slug me or anything, but you know she’s thirty years old, right? Thirty? Not twelve. Or sixteen. Or even twenty. But thirty.”

  Another long, deep breath left him. “Yeah, I know. But it’s hard for me. In a way, to me, she’s still five.” He knew that sounded a little crazy, but he could say that to Logan. Logan would understand. Logan had been there when Anna was five. And ever since.

  Still, his best friend simply said, “You can’t go back.”

  Yeah, he realized that. And he hated it. “I don’t like the fact that she grew up without me to . . . to . . .”

  Logan narrowed his gaze. “Make her into exactly what you think your little sister should be.”

  He just shrugged. “Something like that, maybe. Not that there’s anything wrong with her—she’s amazing. Except . . . I think I intimidate her.”

  “I think you do, too,” Logan said. No hesitation. Shit, that sealed the deal—he officially made his little sister uncomfortable. Great.

  “It’s just that I care so much. That’s all.”

  “I don’t think you want me to go out with her,” Logan concluded.

  And Mike knew that, deep down, that was probably true. Right now, no one would be good enough for Anna. And even as perfect as his parents thought the two of them were together—and it was true that when they were all kids, everyone had joked that Logan and Anna would get married someday—it just seemed weird for her to date his best friend. Too much could go wrong. He felt too much loyalty—and love—for both of them.

  And still, he knew he couldn’t stand in the way of something like that. Anna would end up hating him. And Logan probably wouldn’t—but he might have every right to. So finally he said, “Tell ya what, how about you come over to dinner tomorrow instead. We’ll invite Lucky and Tessa, too, and we’ll all hang out. Play horseshoes afterward in the yard. How would that be?”

  And, true to him as the day was long, Logan agreeably said, “Whatever you want, man.”

  “Baby steps,” Mike told him. “I’ll do this in baby steps and before long, I’ll do better with it. And hey, dude, thanks. For asking. And for being cool about it.”

  “This is Anna we’re talking about,” Logan said. And that was all he had to say. They both understood how deep that loss—and this brand new rediscovery—ran.

  Only a few people milled about now, the last few saying their goodbyes to Edna as Logan, Adam, and Duke helped load gifts into Mike’s pickup and Lucky’s Jeep. Amy looked around at the mess—but she didn’t mind that it would take a while to clean up. Any distraction was a good one these days. And she was happy that Anna had left a little while ago, by herself, with plans to meet her parents for dinner at Dolly’s before they headed back to Florida in the morning.

  As for Logan, she was pretty sure he’d already found her note. He’d had to go to his car for gifts after she’d stuck it there. And—oh God—she still couldn’t believe she’d turned into some mad secret note writer. That was so not like her. Then again, she still couldn’t believe she loved Logan, either. And how horribly painful it continued to be even as it lifted her very soul every time he came to mind.

  Just then, J. Geils’ “Love Stinks” filled the air and she spun to see that Logan had just pulled his car up near the house. The windows were down and Destiny’s only tunable radio station—which played retro music—blared out. Love stinks? Yeah, she had to pretty much agree that it did.

  She was shoving used paper plates into an already-packed garbage bag when Logan turned off the car, killing the music, then got out and came over to her.

  “What’s up?” she asked, trying her best to sound cheerful, normal. Ugh. That was getting harder all the time.

  Logan gave his head a pointed tilt, his expression sweet. “You okay, freckles? ’Cause I thought you looked a little sad at times today.”

  Oh boy. Even when she was able to hide it with other people, Logan could see. Double ugh. “I’m fine,” she lied. “Just tired, I guess. The party and all.”

  “Want me to stick around, help clean up?”

  Her first thought was to say no—she didn’t like to impose on people, and she didn’t mind hard work. But just as quickly, it dawned on her that Tessa would tell her to say yes, that she should be trying to spend more time with him. And she still didn’t really believe she could ever win Logan’s heart, but even so, spending time with him was . . . a different experience now. Each smile he gave her was sweeter. Each word he said resonated with her more deeply.

  So she said, “Um, yeah—sure. Thanks.”

  And then she held open the garbage bag while he stuffed more trash inside. Which occasionally meant incidental touching, his hands brushing over hers, their arms grazing. And things got even better when it came to breaking down the tables to be returned to town hall. Unlocking the table legs to press them flat required some strength, and Logan kept telling her to stop, then shoving his way into her space to take over. She kept purposely having trouble with them.

  “That’s a great dress, by the way,” he told her at one point.

  And she blushed like a schoolgirl. “Thanks. I spotted it at the Daisy Dress Shop during our last fitting for Rachel’s wedding.”

  “It’s nice. You look really pretty today.”

  And that—oh my—she even felt fluttering down through her chest and tummy. “Thanks.” Yet still, somehow it embarrassed
her a little. She wasn’t used to that, looking pretty. So she heard herself adding, unplanned, “Probably a mess now, though.” Then she blew a few wayward strands of hair out of her face.

  After which he just grinned and said, “No, still pretty, freckles.”

  Then he even lifted his hand to brush back the out-of-place hair. And he looked into her eyes as he did it. And for a few seconds, she forgot to breathe. And she thought about kissing him some more. Oh God, how she wanted that. With her whole being. And she suddenly knew with her entire heart that she’d never be fully complete if she didn’t someday get to kiss Logan again, the way she wanted to. With utter abandon. Full-on passion. The full-on passion she’d never quite known was hiding inside her until that day on his couch.

  Only then he began telling her how Anna had asked him out. Swell. And everything that had been feeling so wonderful there for a few minutes turned decidedly less so. But apparently Mike then put the kibosh on it. Thank you, Mike! Except then Mike had invited him over for dinner with them instead. She let out a sigh. Before she knew it, he’d be tooling around Destiny in Anna’s Mustang with her. And probably doing other things with her, too. Her stomach sank.

  “I guess you didn’t get a chance to talk to her,” he said, “about fixing us up.”

  “Um, no,” she said, adding a very small and not very heartfelt, “Sorry.”

  “No problem—I know you had a lot to take care of today. And if it doesn’t happen, well, like you said, maybe it’s not necessary. But still, if you get a chance, like you also said, maybe it wouldn’t hurt if you put in a good word—just give the relationship the magic Amy touch.”

  “Um . . . yeah, sure,” she said. “Of course.”

  And by the time they were finished, Amy felt completely conflicted. In fact, she almost wished she’d let him leave. In one sense, spending time with him was now heart-stoppingly special. But in another, hearing about another girl . . . not so special after all.